RKL’s application to the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) made an impact.

 

ABOUT THE BOOK

Equality and Justice. Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity in the XXI Century

Edited by Alexander Schuster – With an introduction by Stefano Rodotà

Editor: Forum – Place: Udine (Italy)

Pages: 328 – ISBN: 978-88-8420-702-9

London, 4 Oct 2011 – Those convicted of homosexual crimes could soon apply to have their convictions wiped from the records under a government measure to tackle discrimination. More than 16,000 convictions for crimes relating to consensual gay sex could be removed from police computers, following intense lobbying from gay rights group Stonewall [DailyMail reports].

Vilnius, 30 Sept 2011 – The European network of legal experts in the non-discrimination field has published a report on a case decided by a district court involving issues of discrimination in employment for social status and sexual orientation. The decision was issued in March 2011.

Berlin, 23 Sept 2011 – The Bundesrat, Germany's Federal Chamber, definitely approved today a bill  [full text on Bundestag wesbite, in German], that grants equal rights to registered partners working as civil servants, including military forces, for the federal administration.

[Repost: EEE News - 29 Sept 2011] The coalition parties are at odds over gay rights in their responses to the justice minister's letter to the four parliamentary parties in August that expressed concerns about current laws - which do not allow same-sex partnerships - and laid out four possible options on the table.

Switzerland, 30 Sept 2011 – The Swiss Nationl Council has voted today 97-83 against a bill introduced by citizens that aimed at allowing same-gender couples to adopt [ZOL reports, in German]. Consensus seems to grow and it may not be that bad after all.

Germany, 28 Sept 2011 – The Administrative Court of Kassel - Hessen [official website] ruled that civil servants living in a German civil partnership (Lebenspartnerschaft) should be equated with spouse for the purpose of pay only from 2009, not from 2003 as requested by the applicant.

[Associated Press] Washington, US, 28 Sept 2011 – Increasingly visible, the number of gay Americans telling the U.S. census they’re living with same-sex partners nearly doubled in the past decade, to about 650,000 couples. And more than 130,000 recorded partners as husband or wife. Census figures released Tuesday provide a rare snapshot of married and unmarried same-sex couples in the U.S. based on the government count conducted last year, when gay marriage was legal in five states and the District of Columbia. It comes at a time when public opposition to gay marriage is easing and advocacy groups are seeking a state-by-state push for broader legal rights.

[Repost: EP Intergroup on LGBT Rights, 28 Sept 2011] Today the European Parliament joined the United Nations’ call for safeguarding the human rights of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) people in the world. The text was co-signed by 6 out of 7 political groups, and adopted with a very wide majority.